Fly-Fishing for Sharks: An Angler's Journey Across America (Paperback)

by Richard Louv (Author) "WHEN YOU'RE FLY-FISHING for sharks, the line between lunacy and sanity is pretty thin..." (more)
Key Phrases: urban angling, tournament fishing, net ban, New York, New Mexico, Bass'n Gal (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
"When you're fly-fishing for sharks," observes Richard Louv from an 18-foot aluminum boat 12 miles off the coast of San Diego doing just that, "the line between lunacy and sanity is pretty thin." The truth is, most anglers, whatever they're fishing for, live fairly close to that line, and it's that proximity that leads Louv on a provocative quest. "The waters we fish, and how we fish, reflect larger political, ethical, even spiritual issues," he writes. "How shall we reconnect to nature? How should we treat fellow creatures of other species? How do we hold fast to what is old, timeless, and slow?"

As he travels from the Pacific to the Atlantic and the Gulf Coast to the frozen lakes of Northern Michigan, Louv ponders the ways and whys of pretty much the whole teeming democracy of rods and reelers--fly-fishers, ice-fishers, big-game fishers, guides, tournament bassers, even poachers--and their impact on American culture and the environment. He heads out into streams, lakes, and oceans with them, attends expos with them, buys bait with them, and sits down in coffee shops with them to better understand who they are, what lures them, what they take from the waters, and what they give back. He meets a marvelous group of players, among them the sons of Ernest Hemingway and R.F.K.; fly-fishing's incomparable first lady, Joan Wulff; and the less well-pedigreed, too, like a Texas woman who poignantly describes how bass fishing saved her life after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer and her church shunned her because she was a lesbian. He explores how fishing has traditionally tied together generations--including those of his own family--and even how finding a long-forgotten strain of trout in Southern California could halt future development in its tracks. Louv might easily have gotten skunked on such an ambitious fishing trip; instead, his journey reveals much about America and its love of angling. --Jeff Silverman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
A contributing editor at Parents, Louv (Childhood's Future) records his travels- fishing and mingling with like-minded enthusiasts-in this brisk, if somewhat sprawling, survey of fishing across America. As he hops from proletarian New Mexico waters to hazardous ice fishing in northern Michigan, then down South to the Florida Keys, Louv delves into diverse fishing subcultures. There are luxury fishing lodges, slick live-action TV fishing shows and regional and national tournaments where big money is the lure. Other subcultures include an underworld of poachers and the growing fraternity of catch-and-release anglers. Women have formed their own league, too, challenging a male-dominated stronghold; as part of his journey Louv went to Texas to interview Sugar Ferris, founder of Bass'n Gal, the national women's tournament and bass-fishing association, which had 33,000 members before its demise in 1998. (Several corporate sponsors withdrew support after some of the organization's members acknowledged that they were lesbians.) Louv hangs out with urban anglers on New York City's East River, meets Hemingway's fly-fishing son in Montana and plumbs "deep fishing," or transcendental immersion in nature, in Vermont. This hymn to fishing--the sport and mystique--is decked out with photographs of the people he met, and their catches. While doubting readers--like the author's wife, a vegetarian who sides with the fish, or his teenage son, who reluctantly joins him on some outings--may find that Louv's attempt to fathom the sport's spiritual dimensions smells fishy and that his justification of the sport's morality (fish don't feel pain) is a cop-out, his eye-opening odyssey will be pure bliss to anglers. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st Trade Paper edition (March 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074320025X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743200257
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #812,464 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the best book I ever read!, June 29, 2000

By	Mike Cooper (San Diego, Ca USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fly-Fishing for Sharks: An American Journey (Hardcover)

Hi I am Mike Cooper and I'm 13 years old I loved reading Fly Fishing For Sharks. When I first got the book I thought that it was going to be very hard for me to read and take a while, but I finished the book in around a month. It was very interesting becuase I am from San Diego and I have fished at some of the lakes that the author fished at. I also learned a little bit about fishing. I think the most interesting thing about the book was all the interesting people that he would meet on his journey. This is a really good book and it is one of those that you can't put it down you just have to keep reading it. So if you like fishing or just like reading about interesting people this is well worth it and I recomend and buying it today.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rare Gem: Insightful, Humurous, Touching, April 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Fly-Fishing for Sharks: An American Journey (Hardcover)

As an avid fisherman and reader, I can tell you that one spends a lot of time pusuing the rare catch: The trophy fish or the unforgetable book. Suffice it to say - this book is a keeper! Louv's insights into the world of fishing, emotions, and the human psyche are poignant, insightful, and dead-on, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. I've shared this book with many non-fishing friends (for example a 60-something Nanny) - who loved it! Through extensive interviews and lots of fishing with the characters in his book, Richard Louv explores the deeper meaning that fishing and nature hold for these folks - and indeed for mankind. (Previous reviews likening his journey to Steinbeck or William Least Heat Moon are accurate) There are some wake-up calls here too: disappearing landscapes and children growing up detatched from their Mother Earth. I laughed, I cried, I bought a bunch and gave them as gifts. Here's my gift to you, gentle reader: Buy it for yourself and enjoy!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Louv Captures the "Love of the Game", May 22, 2000

By	Lisa Tanner (Springfield, Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fly-Fishing for Sharks: An American Journey (Hardcover)

With out a doubt, one of the best books I've read--ever. Louv captures the true passion of his subject fly-fishermen (and women), then steps back and releases the stories of their spirited lives with the interpretation of a painter to canvas. As a daughter of one of the fly-fishermen Louv interviewed, I can say without hesitation, he revealed my father's knowledge and love of fishing in a way no one but a family member could.